Nigel Jones considers the possibility of health secretary Wes Streeting as a future Labour leader and what this would mean for the NHS.
Winston Churchill famously said: ‘Politics is more dangerous than war, for in war you only get killed once.’ The inference here was politicians can face multiple metaphorical ‘deaths’ or defeats in various forms including loss of reputation, power or public trust.
In the wake of the budget, Rachel Reeves may well have been left hoping for some form of political reincarnation as her stock has fallen sharply and she is no longer the favourite to become the next Labour leader. As 2024 drew to an end, that dubious honour fell, according to the bookmakers, to a certain Wes Streeting, the health secretary.
Perhaps this is no surprise. Yes, there was the slight misstep in the eyes of the NHS workforce when he described the NHS as ‘broken’. However, that was quickly recovered with the tweak in the language to ‘broken but not beaten’. This in itself potentially demonstrated a willingness to listen and understand.
Indeed, those traits seem to be recurring themes among the feedback from those people that have interacted with the health secretary. However, at some point, all that listening and understanding must translate into concrete action and therein lies the danger for a politician.
Managing expectations
Even before electoral success was formally confirmed, Wes Streeting was at pains to manage our expectations about the challenge for Labour to make the NHS ‘fit for the future’. But it was the same with the budget with rhetoric about difficult decisions filling the airwaves prior to 30 October and I’m not sure it helped Rachel Reeves that much.
The health secretary’s equivalent of the budget will be the Spring publication of the 10-year plan for change and modernisation within the NHS. The treatment plan for the diagnosis published by Lord Dazi last September. Almost everyone agrees it will need to be bold and radical if the NHS is to survive and that will take courage and honesty which may not be easy when you are the bookies’ favourite.
This year, Practice Plan celebrates 30 years of welcoming practices into the family, helping them to grow profitable businesses through the introduction of practice-branded membership plans.
If you’re considering your options away from the NHS and are looking for a plan provider who will hold your hand through the process at a pace that’s right for you, you can start the conversation with Practice Plan on 01691 684165 or book your one-to-one NHS to private call today at practiceplan.co.uk/nhsvirtual.
For more information, visit practiceplan.co.uk/nhs.
This article is sponsored by Practice Plan.
